Hans Lassen Martensen (19 August 1808 – 3 February 1884) was a Danish bishop and academic. He was a professor at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...

and Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand.

Early life

Martensen was born in a middle-class Lutheran family in Flensburg, in the Duchy of Schleswig (now Germany), as the only son of Hans Andersen Martensen (1782-1822) and Ane Marie Truelsen (1781-1853). At that time Schleswig was a duchy between

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. He grew up in a German-speaking society, while his father who was a schoolmaster, writer and sea-captain preferred to use Danish. Consequently the young Martensen upbrought in a multicultural situation and reconciliation of different cultures became his one of central interests through his life. He was schooled at the

Metropolitanskolen Metropolitanskolen ("The Metropolitan School") was a school in Copenhagen, Denmark founded in 1209 by the Bishop , and for centuries one of the most prestigious schools in the country. History The school was founded in 1209 next to the Church of ...

and studied theology at the

and later was ordained in the Danish Church. From 1834 till 1836 he travelled foreign countries. He visited several cities including Berlin, Munich, Vienna and Paris. He met influential intellects including

David Strauss David Friedrich Strauss (german: link=no, Strauß ; 27 January 1808 – 8 February 1874) was a German liberal Protestant theologian and writer, who influenced Christian Europe with his portrayal of the "historical Jesus", whose divine nature he ...

(1808–1874). During his travel, he began to read mystics;

Meister Eckhart Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart, Master Eckhart

's ''The Divine Comedy'' with a great interest.

Career

At Copenhagen he was lektor in theology in 1838, professor extra-ordinarius in 1840, court preacher also in 1845, and professor ordinarius in 1850. Once he was offered to a bishopric from the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

but declined. In 1854 however he gave up his educational career and was made bishop of

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

, the Danish

Primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...

. In his studies he had come under the influence of Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834),

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...

(1770–1831) and

Franz Xaver von Baader Franz von Baader (27 March 1765 – 23 May 1841), born Benedikt Franz Xaver Baader, was a German Catholic philosopher, theologian, physician, and mining engineer. Resisting the empiricism of his day, he denounced most Western philosophy s ...

(1765–1841); but he was a man of independent mind, and developed a peculiar speculative theology which showed a disposition towards

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

and

theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

Personal life

Martensen was married to Helene Mathilde Hess (19 March 1817 - 20 September 1847), daughter of ship captain and harbour superintendent at Nyhavn District Peter Mathias Hess (1787-1851) and Mette Christine Hansen (c. 1788-1825), on 22 December 1838 in the Garrison Church in Copenhagen. They had one son, Julius Martensen (1839-1910), who would become a literary historian. She died just 30 years old in 1847. He married, secondly, to Virginie Henriette Constance Bidoulac (8 April 1817 - 13 May 1904), daughter of language teacher Joseph B. (c. 1765-1839) and Marie Sørensen (1782-1850), on 10 November 1848. Martensen lived in a now demolished building at Ved Stranden 4 in 1833–1834 and then at Gråbrødretorv 6 in 1835–1838. His next home was in the no longer existing street Hummergade at No. No. 15. He then lived in the Obel House at

Vestergade Vestergade ( lit. "West Street") is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, linking Gammeltorv in the northeast with the City Hall Square in the southwest. The street defines the southern boundary of Copenhagen's Latin Quarter. Most of the buil ...

2 from 1853–1854 before occupying the Bishop's House in

Nørregade Nørregade (literally "North Street") is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, linking Gammeltorv in the south with Nørre Voldgade in the north. Landmarks in the street include Church of Our Lady, Bispegården, St. Peter's Church and Folk ...

for the remainder of his life. Martensen died on 3 February 1884 in Copenhagen and was buried at Assistens Cemetery.

Legacy

His contributions to theological literature included treatises on Christian

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

and

dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Isla ...

tics, on moral philosophy, on

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

, and a sketch of the life of German philosopher Jakob Böhme (1575–1624) whose works exercised a marked influence on the mind of English theologian

William Law William Law (16869 April 1761) was a Church of England priest who lost his position at Emmanuel College, Cambridge when his conscience would not allow him to take the required oath of allegiance to the first Hanoverian monarch, King George I. P ...

(1686-1761). Martensen was a distinguished preacher, and his works were translated into various languages. The "official" eulogy he pronounced upon Bishop

Jacob Peter Mynster Jacob Peter Mynster (8 November 1775 – 30 January 1854) was a Danish theologian and clergy member of the Church of Denmark. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1834 until his death. Mynster was notably used as an exemplar of con ...

(1775–1854) in 1854, in which he affirmed that the deceased man was one of the authentic truth-witnesses of Christianity to have appeared in the world since apostolic times, brought down upon his head the invectives of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Icelandic theologian Magnús Eiríksson (1806–1881), who lived in Copenhagen from 1831 until his death, was very critical of Martensen’s speculative theology, which he attacked in various publications from 1844 to 1850.Magnus Eiríksson ''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon'' Retrieved November 1, 2020

Theobald Stein Theobald Stein (7 February 1829 – 16 November 1901) was a Danish sculptor. He was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and served as its director from 1883 to 1886. Among his most well-known works are the Niels Juel statue ...

created a portrait bust of him in 1876. A bronze copy stands in front of the University of Copenhagen's main building ion Grue Plads in Copenhagen. A marble copy is part of the collection of the Museum of National History at

Frederiksborg Castle Frederiksborg Castle ( da, Frederiksborg Slot) is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick ...

Hillerød Hillerød () is a Danish town with a population of 35,357 (1 January 2022)David Monies painted a portrait painting of him in 1842.

Peder Severin Krøyer Peder Severin Krøyer (; 23 July 1851 – 21 November 1909), also known as P. S. Krøyer, was a Danish painter. Life Growing up and early training Krøyer was born in Stavanger, Norway, on 23 July 1851 to Ellen Cecilie Gjesdal. He was rai ...

painted a portrait painting of him in 1874 and copied it in 1884 (

Roskilde Cathedral Roskilde Cathedral ( da, Roskilde Domkirke), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark. The cathedral is the most importan ...

Accolades

* 1847: Knight in the Order of the Dannebrog * 1854: Cross of Honour * 1859: Commander in the Order of the Dannebrog * 1869: Grand Cross of Denmark * 1879: Rank of Excellency

Selected works

* ''Grundriss des Systems der Moralphilosophie'' (1841; 3rd ed., 1879; German, 1845) * * ''Die christliche Taufe und die baptistische Frage'' (2nd ed., 1847; German, 2nd ed., 1860) * * * * ''Hirtenspiegel'' (1870-1872) * ''Katholizismus und Protestantismus'' (1874)
''Jacob Boehme; Studies in his Life and Teaching''
(1882; Eng. trans., 1885, reprint 1949)] An autobiography, ''Aus meinem Leben'', appeared in 1883, and after his death the ''Briefwechsel zwischen Martensen und Dorner''.

References

Other sources

External links

* * * Martensen, H.
''Christian Ethics''
(transl. by William Affleck) at archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Martensen, Hans Lassen 1808 births 1884 deaths 19th-century Danish clergy People from Flensburg University of Copenhagen alumni University of Copenhagen faculty Danish Lutheran theologians 19th-century Protestant theologians Danish Lutheran bishops 19th-century Lutheran bishops Lutheran socialists Danish Christian socialists Burials at Assistens Cemetery (Copenhagen)